


Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly

by WhispersInTheWing



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive Alastair, Alastair is an asshole, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Blood and Injury, Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, Foster Care, Gen, Graphic Description, Lilith is a trophy wife, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Happy, Paramedic Dean, Physical Abuse, References to Drugs, Social Worker Castiel, Underage Rape/Non-con, graphic description of past abuse, this is not for the faint of heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:07:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7709191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhispersInTheWing/pseuds/WhispersInTheWing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>14 year old Sam Wesson has been in and out of foster homes since his parents tragic death in a car accident. His most recent foster parents, Alastair and Lilith, take Sam in as a way to divert law enforcement attention away from Alastair's drug running operation. </p>
<p>Sam's entire world consists of an old shed in the backyard and a cramped linen closet where he tries to hide from Alastair's drunken sexual advances. Will Sam be able to survive long enough for his social worker Castiel to raise him from his hell?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Steady

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so that's not my best summary, but it was the best I could do without giving too much of the story away. This is another dark fic, but it does have a light at the end of the tunnel for Sam.
> 
> Warnings for graphic descriptions of physical and sexual child abuse, graphic description of injury to a child.
> 
> -S

Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. There were tons of folders of foster families to go over before determining which one was suitable for the newest foster child to enter the crowded system. Castiel had learned a long time ago that the right family wasn’t always the one the child was sent to. It was more about cycling the kids through the process as quickly as possible; after all, time is money.

“You’re still here?” Fellow CPS caseworker Benny Lafitte asked as he approached. “The office has been closed for two hours. Go home Castiel.” He propped a hip on the corner of Castiel’s desk. “Don’t forget, we’ve got a home visit with the Romaros in the morning. 9 a.m. sharp like always.”

“I don’t see why Rufus won’t let us conduct surprise home inspections. We’ll never be able to get kids out of the bad homes if we don’t know who the bad homes are! Something about the Romaros doesn’t sit right with me. Alistair is a slimy weasel and Lilith is so shallow, I could stand in a puddle of her and not get my feet wet,” Castiel exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“I know brother. But since there’s never been a formal complaint filed against the Romaros, our hands are tied. Rufus’ too. We have to go by the book, or we could both lose our jobs,” Benny remarked, scrubbing a hand across his beard.

Castiel sighed. Benny was right. “I-you’re right Benny. I just can’t shake the feeling that something is off in that house.” He closed the folder that was open in front of him and stood. Castiel grabbed his jacket, then he and Benny closed up the office.

“Are you still coming over tonight?” Castiel asked as they reached their cars. “Dean’s throwing an end of summer barbeque. He would love it if you came. You can even bring Swamp if you like, he’s always welcome at our place.”

Benny smiled, clapping Castiel on the shoulder. “Sounds good to me brother. Give me about an hour to swing by my house and change out of this monkey suit. Do you want me to bring anything?” Benny replied.

“Just your sense of humor! You know Dean likes to break out those awful impressions,” Castiel chuckled. “See you soon Benny!”

\-------

“Dean, I’m home!” Castiel called, shutting the door softly behind him. He tossed his keys in the bowl by the door and hung up his jacket. The delicious smell of burgers on the grill wafted in through the open patio door.

“I’m in the backyard! Would you grab the steak burgers from the counter on your way out?” Dean replied, poking his head through the door. “Bobby and Crowley are here already, and my parents should be here soon. Are Gabe and Anna coming?”

Castiel grabbed the plate of perfectly formed patties and joined the party outside. “Anna can’t make it tonight, she has to study for her SATs. Gabriel said he’d be here and that he’d bring Kali and the baby too,” Castiel smiled, pecking Dean on the cheek.

“Awesome! I haven’t gotten a chance to see the new baby yet. Adam and his girlfriend Joanna are here too.” Dean took the plate from Cas and swatted him playfully on the ass. “How was work today babe?”

Castiel sighed, loosening his tie. “Rough. We had to take a set of 2 year old twins out of a home that was found to be manufacturing meth in the basement. But they’re young, so they’ll be put in a good home. The sister of the father expressed interest in adopting them. And Claire ran away again, so Benny and I spent most of the day looking for her. We found her at the train station trying to buy a ticket to L.A.” Castiel gratefully took the beer Dean handed him. “Oh, and we’ve got a scheduled home visit with the Romaros tomorrow morning.” He took a long swig of beer, running a hand through his raven black hair as he watched Crowley laugh at something Bobby said.

“Rufus still won’t let you conduct a surprise visit? Have you tried talking to Sam’s teachers or their neighbors?” Dean wondered.

“No, Rufus says that kind of stuff opens the door for the Romaros to press harassment charges,” Castiel growled.

“Don’t Bobby and Crowley live next door to them? You’re here and they’re here, so what’s the harm in striking up a conversation? You’re not on the clock so you’re technically not breaking any rules. If they’ve noticed anything strange or off, ask them to file a complaint with the office. Give Rufus proof to justify a surprise visit. If I have to, I’ll make up an excuse to go over to Bobby’s and I’ll check out the Romaros myself.”

“Thanks Dean. At least someone believes me about those people.” Castiel finished the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle into the recycling bin. “Benny said he’d come too, he’s stopping by his place to pick up Swamp.”

Dean smiled, winding an arm around Castiel’s waist. “Cool, he’s the only person who seems to have a sense of humor around here.”

Dean and Castiel smiled to one another as more of their friends and family began to fill their backyard. Castiel drifted over to where Bobby and Crowley were talking to Adam and Joanna.

“Hey Bobby, hey Crowley! How have you been?” Castiel asked as he approached.

Bobby smiled, hugging the younger man with a pat on the back. “It’s good to see you Castiel. We’ve been real good son.” Bobby nudged Crowley with his elbow. “This one’s   
been keeping me on my toes as usual.”

“Well I have to, otherwise he’ll lose his quick wits. How’s the job going?” Crowley asked.

Castiel shrugged. “It’s going. I’ve been having trouble getting my boss to check in on this foster family that I have a bad feeling about.”

Crowley perked up. “It wouldn’t happen to be the Romaros, would it?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Castiel asked with a nod.

“I get a bad feeling from those people. Sam’s their only foster child, but we hardly ever see him outside of the house. I don’t think he even goes to school anymore. I could’ve sworn I saw him standing out in the backyard all night last night. Bobby thinks I’m going crazy, but I know I’ve heard some strange sounds coming from the shed in their backyard,” Crowley remarked, shuddering slightly.

“I know this goes against protocol Crowley, but I need you to call CPS and file a formal complaint against them with Rufus. If something is going on in that house, I want to get Sam out of there as soon as possible,” Castiel replied.

Crowley nodded. “Of course Castiel. I would rather file a complaint, and have it turn out to be nothing but my crazy old imagination, then to do nothing and have something bad happen to that poor boy.”

“Thank you so much Crowley. You have no idea how much this will help me. I’ve been trying to tell Rufus that something wasn’t right at that house for months, but he just won’t listen. He thinks I’ve got some personal vendetta against Alistair for some reason. It’s like trying to talk to a brick wall. Rufus refuses to see the signs that something’s off. During every one of our scheduled visits, Lilith never lets us check Sam’s bedroom and our visits are always in the living room. Sam never seems to wear anything other than long sleeved shirts and long pants and barely talks. I’m getting worried about him.”

Castiel’s rambling was interrupted by a boisterous voice from behind the fence. “Who do I have to kiss to get a beer around here?” Benny laughed as he let himself in through the gate, Swamp racing in as soon as the gate swung open and barking happily. Swamp ran around the yard, sniffing and greeting each and every person.

Joanna froze when Swamp rushed to her, jumping up to push his nose against her arm. Benny could tell that the girl either didn’t like or had a fear of dogs and jogged over before Swamp could bowl her over.

“Sorry about that darling. Swamp wouldn’t hurt a fly, he just gets excited about new people,” Benny remarked as he grabbed Swamp’s collar and gently pulled him away from Joanna. “He’s fine once he calms down.”

Joanna smiled softly at Benny. “It’s alright, no harm done.”

Castiel and Dean watched their friends and family laugh and talk together. It filled their hearts with warmth and love that they could bring everyone together again. Adam and Dean hadn’t spoken in almost three months, and wouldn’t have even seen each other if it hadn’t been for Castiel inviting Adam to the barbeque.

“Hey Cas,” Dean began, bumping hips with the smaller man. “Thanks for inviting Adam and Joanna. I’m too stubborn to admit when I’m wrong, but I don’t want that to stand in the way of a relationship with my brother. He’s the only sibling I have.”

“Of course Dean. And I know Adam feels the same way, Joanna has told me as much. She and I both know you two will work out your differences eventually. All in good time.”


	2. What Lies In The Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a dark chapter with descriptions of child abuse and underage rape/non con. If any of that triggers you, turn back now please.
> 
> Much Love, S

Alastair Romaro stumbled into the house, the stench of bourbon strong on his breath. “SAM! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!” Alastair slurred, dropping into his easy chair. He pulled a flask from his jacket pocket and took a long drag.

14 year old Sam Wesson limped into the living room, staring at Alastair’s feet as he stood in front of his foster father. He wrapped rail thin arms around a concave stomach muddled with bruises and welts, his ribcage prominent through his pale skin. His left leg throbbed painfully, his fractured ankle swollen and purple. His jaw ached something fierce and Sam hoped it wasn’t broken. Sam could hardly see through the black eye Alastair had gifted him with before he left for work that morning; it constantly watered and burned from the bright lights.

“CPS is coming by t’morrow for anotha one of their stupid fuckin’ home visits. You better not let them see you limping like that, because I don’t feel like explaining why you’re so goddamn clumsy. And what do you say when they ask about your eye?” Alastair prompted.

“I got into a fight at school,” Sam replied softly. He waited for his father to dismiss him so he could go back into his room and rest his ankle.

“Good. Now those damn nosy neighbors aren’t home, so go out in the yard and take a bath, you’re starting to stink up the place,” Alastair grumbled, reaching for the bottle of whiskey on the table and dismissing Sam.

Sam shuffled from the house, each step sending sparks of pain up his leg. He closed the sliding glass door behind him as he stepped into the backyard. Sam turned on the hose and stripped out of his ratty underwear, the only garment of clothing Alastair allowed him to wear in the house. He quickly cleaned them and set them out on the patio to dry. Sam swiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop falling as he filled up the small kiddie pool that served as his makeshift bathtub. He didn’t understand what he did wrong to make his foster parents hate him so much, or what he did to make his real parents give him away. All Sam knew was that he was a burden to Alastair and Lilith, and that he should be grateful they took him in at all.

Sam shivered as he stepped into the cold water, goose bumps breaking out over his skin. He hated having to bathe in the yard like an animal. He grabbed the small bar of soap from the ground and scrubbed it across his arms and chest, wincing from the still tender bruises that marred his body. He hoped that since there was a home visit tomorrow, Alastair wouldn’t make him sleep out in the shed again. Sam would gladly take his dark and cramped closet over the freezing cold shed with the leak in the roof any day. Sam wished he were brave enough to tell the caseworker everything tomorrow, then maybe he could be moved to a home with parents that actually wanted him there. But Sam knew that could never happen. Alastair would beat him to death in the time it took the caseworker to take him from this awful house.

Sam sighed in relief as the cold water numbed his throbbing ankle. The pain made him nauseous to the point he could hardly keep the meager food they fed him down. He didn’t know how he was going to be able to hide the limping from the caseworker; there were times where his foot felt like it was going to fall off.

He stayed in the water for as long as he could to give his ankle some relief, until he was shivering violently and his toes were numb. Sam reluctantly stood from the water, drying himself off and dumping the now dingy water onto the lawn. He looked up at the darkening sky and wondered if Alastair would let him sleep inside tonight as it seemed a storm was rolling in. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the shed in the yard; it shielded him from most of the cold in the winter and the intense heat in the summer. But the roof was full of holes and there was a particular leak that dripped onto his face, no matter where he moved his threadbare mattress.

Sam hobbled back into the house, stopping to slip his underwear back on. He hoped Alastair would be too hammered to notice him going to his room. He had his hand on the door handle when Alastair’s icy voice cut through the air.

“And where the hell do you think you’re going? I believed I haven’t dismissed you to bed yet,” Alastair remarked, standing up from his chair. “Lilith’s out with her girlfriends tonight and won’t be back until late. I want you to go into the kitchen and bend over the table. If I hear one peep out of you, I’ll break more than just your ankle. Understood?”

Sam nodded, his shoulders drooping in defeat. He hated when Lilith went out to the club with her snooty, rich bitch friends because it meant Alastair could use Sam’s body without Lilith finding out. Though he doubted she would say anything to Alastair if she walked in on them; she was only interested in the drugs and the money. She probably wouldn’t even notice if Alastair killed Sam.


	3. Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I said that the last chapter had a lot of warnings in the beginning, but with the way that the chapter ended all the bad stuff ended up in this chapter. I'll post the warnings again just to make sure you are all aware of the dark scenes in this chapter. I do not condone any of what happens in this chapter.
> 
> WARNING: Contains scenes of child sexual abuse, child rape, vulgarity, rape/non-con.

Alastair watched as his foster kid stumbled to the kitchen and assumed the position across the table, sliding his underwear to his knees. As long as Sam did everything he was told, it would be over quicker ... maybe. Alastair stepped up behind Sam and ran a paw over the little globe of his ass. The boy’s skin was littered with various scars from the times he felt like getting rough with the belt.

“Now tell me. Are you going to tell your mother about the fun we had tonight?” Alastair growled as he began to undo his jeans. He felt his cock begin to harden and stroked himself through his boxers as he stared down at the expanse of succulent flesh laid out before him. He grinned sadistically as he pictured the boy sitting next to the social worker tomorrow with his foster father’s cum leaking out of his used hole.

“N-no sir,” Sam replied softly, knowing that Alastair would beat Sam for not answering a direct question.

Alastair shoved his fingers into the boy’s mouth, almost moaning at the sound of the boy choking on his thick fingers. He'd have to fuck the boy's throat tomorrow after the social worker left. “Suck. It’s the only lube you’re gonna get tonight, so you better do a good job. It'll be your own fault if it hurts.”

Sam sucked on the thick fingers in his mouth, the lingering bitterness of heroin and sweat making him gag. He swirled his tongue around the digits, wetting them as best he could at that angle. Alastair smacked Sam’s ass hard, leaving a stinging red print and the staccato sound echoing in the otherwise quiet house. Sam had to hold himself back from biting down on Alastair’s fingers on reflex.

Alastair pulled his fingers from Sam’s mouth and trailed them down his pale back. “If you make a single noise without my permission, I’ll beat your face in so you can’t make any sound.” He shoved two fingers unceremoniously into Sam’s tight hole to the second knuckle, grinning at the way the muscle squeezed and contracted. “You’re such a slut for me, aren’t you boy? Nothing more than a dirty little slut.”

Sam nodded, pushing back against Alastair’s invading fingers even as his brain screamed at him to get away. His hole burned from the intrusion, and Sam wished that Alastair would just hurry up and get it over with. He hated the way he could feel Alastair’s seed dripping from his abused hole for hours after it was over. He hated the way it hurt to even go to the bathroom.

Tears dripped silently down his cheeks and onto the kitchen table as Alastair removed his fingers and lined his cock up with Sam’s ill-prepared entrance. He shoved in to the hilt in one swift thrust, the sensitive skin inside Sam tearing at the force of it. Sam bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming in pain, the coppery tang of blood filling his mouth. He panted as Alastair set a brutal pace, tearing Sam more and more.

“You’re nothing to me. You’re just a hole for me to fuck. You should be thanking me every day for fucking you and putting a roof over your head,” Alastair growled, wrapping a hand around the young boy’s slender throat. He squeezed, slowly cutting off his bitch’s air. “I could choke the life out of you right now. Is that how you want to die? With my hand around your throat and my cock in your ass? You worthless piece of shit.”

Sam held back a whimper, fingers tightening on the edge of the table as he struggled to breathe. Black spots danced in his vision, growing bigger with each brutal thrust from his foster father.

Alastair’s thrusts became frantic rutting as he neared completion. He groaned loudly in Sam’s ear, spurts of warm seed filling the boy's channel. He collapsed his full weight on top of the boy, crushing the breath from his lungs. Alastair panted as he regained his bearings, hot breath fanning disgustingly across Sam’s cheek.

“You’re dismissed, boy. I want you dressed and on the couch for the social worker by 7:30 in case he shows up early. Am I understood?” Alastair hissed as he pulled his softening cock out and gave a sharp slap to the abused, puffy hole. “Now get out of my face.”

Sam scrambled off the table, falling to his knees when his legs couldn’t support him after being stuck in one position for so long. He pulled his underwear up as he stood. Keeping his eyes cast to the floor, Sam hurried to his room, shutting the door softly behind him. As his vision adjusted to the total darkness, Sam let out a ragged breath. He could feel his father’s release dripping and running down his shaky thighs. One day, he’ll be brave enough to get away from the hell he was trapped in.

Sam collapsed to the floor exhausted, dragging his battered body to his mattress. He waited with bated breath until Alastair had stomped up the stairs and slammed a door before finally succumbing to the embrace of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm not very good at scenes like that, which was why I kind of wrote it to get it over with as quickly as possible. It makes me a bit uncomfortable to write them, but I felt it was essential to the flow of where I want the story to go.


	4. Lies Like Turpentine

Castiel pulled his car to a stop outside the Romano residence, eyeing the house from the street. Nothing looked out of the ordinary from what Cas could see; but he knew first hand that looks could be deceiving.

“You alright there, brother?” Benny asked from the passenger seat. “You look like your mind’s racing a hundred miles a minute. Care to enlighten me on what’s squirreling around up there?”

Castiel shrugged. “It’s nothing new; the same old paranoia about these people. I wish I could find something concrete to hold against them so we could get Sam out of this place.”

Benny clapped Castiel on the shoulder. “I know what you mean, brother. But there’s not much we can do until something gets reported.”

Castiel sighed. “You’re right. Let’s just get this over with.” Castiel got out of the car, Benny following close behind him as they made their way to the front door of the house. Benny took point and stepped up onto the front step, knocking three times on the door. He stepped back as the door swung open to reveal Lilith Romano, a fake smile on her Barbie pink lips.

“Hello Agent Novak, Agent Lafitte. Please, come in.” Lilith gestured with a French tipped finger for the two men to follow her into the house. “I hope you don’t mind the mess; We’re having friends over and I’m in the middle of preparing.”

“It’s no trouble at all Mrs. Romano,” Benny replied, laying on the southern charm. “Good morning Mr. Romano, Sam.” Benny tilted his head towards the young boy and father and took a seat in one of the empty armchairs.

Castiel lowered himself down into the other chair, gaze traveling up and down Sam’s body. “That’s quite a shiner. What happened to your eye Sam?”

The boy started, staring down at his hands folded in his lap. “I got into a fight at school the other day. It actually doesn’t hurt that much, it just looks worse than it really is.”

“Has Sam been getting in trouble at school a lot?” Benny wondered, turning to Alastair.

Alastair nodded. “Unfortunately. The older kids seem to like targeting him. But he’s tough, he can handle it. Can’t you Sam?”

Sam nodded. “It’s not so bad. They used to pick on me a lot more before, but now it’s only like once a week. I’ve gotten used to it.” He picked at a loose string on his sweater, gnawing absentmindedly on his bottom lip. “My class schedule got switched around, so now I only run into them after school. It’s no big deal, really.”

Castiel decided that the sad look on the young kid’s face was one of the worst he’d ever seen, and never wanted to see it again. “How have your classes been going this year Sam?” Castiel asked, changing the subject subtly.

Sam shrugged. “They’re going okay. I’m in an advanced placement chemistry class, but it’s harder than I was expecting. But my teacher has faith in me and has been giving me tutoring lessons during lunch.”

Castiel smiled at Sam. “That’s great. Keep it up and you’ll be at Stanford in no time!” He clapped Sam on the shoulder.

Alastair watched the social worker warily. He didn’t appreciate others touching what belonged to him. “So agents if everything is in order, we’ll see you in a month. We’ve got a big event planned tonight, you understand?”

Castiel bristled. “We’re not quite done here yet, Mr. Romano. Agent Lafitte and I need to take a look at the rest of the house and Sam’s bedroom to make sure there’s nothing that poses a danger to Sam and that it’s all up to code.”

Alastair grimaced. Couldn’t this wannabe Matlock leave him and his in peace? “Sam, why don’t you stay and help your mother in the kitchen while I show the agents the rest of the house? I’m sure she’d be grateful for the help.”

He stood, straightening his black button-up shirt. “This way … agents.” Alastair led the agents upstairs to show them the guest bedroom that served as Sam's 'bedroom' whenever child services came to check up on him. It was sparsely decorated and was usually enough to satisfy the agents. "Lilith and I make sure that Sam keeps his room clean and orderly, and that he makes his bed every morning."

Benny nodded. "As any young boy should do," He replied. Benny knew now what Castiel meant about the house and the Romanos giving him the creeps. There was something about Alastair toothy grin that didn't sit well in Benny's gut. But he wouldn't jump to conclusions about the man without provocation. "I think we're all done here now, Mr. Romano. Thank you for complying with the inspection. We'll see you again on the first of the month, like always."

Alastair watched from the top of the stairs as the two agents took their leave. He waited until he could no longer hear their car before speaking. "Sam. Upstairs. Now."


	5. Human

“Yes Sir.” Sam rose slowly from the couch, hobbling across the room and up the stairs as fast as his bum ankle could carry him. Sam was probably going to be hit with the belt; Alastair never got sexually aggressive when Lilith was home. But there was always a first time for everything.

Alastair shoved Sam into the guest bedroom, closing the door with a slam behind them. 

Lilith continued preparing finger food downstairs. She knew better than to try and stop Alastair when he was in his fits of rage. It would do her no good to have guests arrive while she nursed a black eye. She doubted they would believe her story of walking into a door again. Lilith flinched at the sound of a belt striking skin, and the pained yelp that followed. Another loud crack sounded through the air along with another scream and a muffled voice. _“Shut the fuck up! Do you want your mother to hear you screaming like a stuck pig?!”_

~~**~~

Alastair cracked his belt over Sam’s exposed back, the skin splitting on his shoulder blades where the skin was thinnest. “What did you tell them? Tell me!” He shouted, striking Sam across the ass.

Tears streamed down Sam’s face as he practically bit through his lower lip. “I didn’t tell them anything, I swear!” Sam couldn’t hold back a sob. “Please, stop!”

“I know you told them!” Alastair bellowed, striking Sam across the back over and over. “You told them somehow! Just admit it!”

Sam collapsed under the heavy strikes, his entire body trembling from the pain. He didn’t know what Alastair was talking about. He hadn’t been alone with either of the agents the entire time they were there. How could he have told them anything?

Alastair raised the belt high above his head, readying for another strike when there was a timid knock on the door.

“Alastair? The guests are arriving at any minute. I just saw the Hendricks pull into the driveway,” Lilith called softly. “And you know Allison, she’s the nosiest person in the neighborhood. If you’re not down there she’ll start asking questions.”

Alastair dropped his belt to the floor, smoothing a hand through his messy hair. “Keep them busy in the front room as long as you can.” He waited until the sound of Lilith’s footsteps faded away before turning to the boy quivering on the bed.

“You’re spending the night outside tonight. I don’t want to hear a peep from that shed.” Alastair smacked Sam’s mottled skin once more before moving to the closet. He grabbed a pair of ratty sweats and tossed them at the boy. “Put these on in case those nosy ass neighbors are home.”

Sam nodded, quickly climbing off the bed. “Yes sir. Not a peep, I promise. Thank you sir.” He hurriedly yanked on the sweats and shambled down the stairs. He could hear Lilith speaking to a man and a woman in the front room as he made his way to the back sliding door.

“I love what you’ve done with the wallpaper Lilith, it really brightens up the foyer. It was so drab before,” Allison Hendricks remarked as her husband closed the door behind them. Lilith plastered a fake smile on her face, though she listened for the sound of the sliding door to ensure her guests wouldn’t see their foster child.

Sam stared at the array of food on the counters, his mouth watering. He couldn’t remember when he’d eaten last. His stomach growled loudly and he froze, hoping no one else could hear it. A saran-wrapped plate caught his eye, where a sticky note with his name hastily scrawled on it sat.

Sam didn’t think twice, snatching the plate from the counter and hurrying as fast as he could out the back door and into the rickety shed. He shut the door softly behind him, breathing a heavy sigh of relief at the temporary safety the shed offered. Alastair would be so distracted by food and drink that he would forget about Sam until morning. Though that meant the beating tomorrow would be twice as bad. Alastair’s beatings were always worse after he drank.

Sam tore open the plastic wrap around the plate and devouring the sandwich in a flash. The bread had been toasted and warm, the cheese a hearty cheddar that Lilith only brought out when they had guests. Sam could hear more people arriving, the sound of laughter filtering through the open windows.

He got down on his knees in the middle of the wooden floor, shivering as a draft slithered across his skin. He folded numb fingers and closed bruised eyes. “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Why are you doing this to me? What sin have I committed to make you ignore my prayers? To ignore my pleas for help? I’m begging you please. Get me out of here! Get me out of this awful place! Please! I don’t care where I go; anywhere is better than this shed or that awful closet. God please, I’d rather die than live here another day.” Sam reached up and wiped away the tears collecting on his lashes, his breath trembling. “Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's so short. This part got a bit stuck and I took a break for a few days to try and find my muse again. Apparently she felt the need to pack an overnight bag and jump out the window and I haven't seen her since. Hopefully my muse will return soon with a fresh face and I can get more cranked out.
> 
> I also chose to change Lilith's character slightly. I decided that she has a tiny bit of motherly instincts that she can't help but express, but since she's mostly a trophy wife for Alastair she defers to him in almost everything. (I hope that made sense)
> 
>  
> 
> Much Love, S


	6. Spirit In The Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at this, another chapter so soon! This is a bit of a filler chapter, but I promise things will start to pick up soon. Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos! You have been my muse this week!
> 
> Much Love, S

Castiel couldn’t stop thinking about Sam for the rest of the day. He’d been so visibly distracted that Rufus had sent him home early, telling him that he had better have his shit together by tomorrow or he’d be suspended. Benny drove him home, knowing that his friend needed some time to himself to think. 

“I know what you mean about that place, brother. Something about the way Sam was acting didn’t seem right. But until there’s a formal complaint filed against them, there’s nothing we can do without losing our jobs,” Benny remarked as he pulled to a stop in Castiel’s driveway. “Now I can go back to the office and try to talk Rufus into upping the visits to twice a month. That way if something is happening at that house, we have a better chance of catching it.”

“Thanks Benny. And thanks again for driving me home. I didn’t want to call Dean and make him leave work. I’m kind of embarrassed Rufus sent me home early. How am I supposed to be there for those kids if I’m sitting at home? I feel so useless.” Castiel stared out the windshield, slumping in his seat. “Maybe I should talk to Bobby and Crowley; try to press them to give up anything they might have seen.”

“Well, I’ll keep an ear out for anything about the Romaros at the office and call you if something comes up. Take care of yourself brother. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Castiel dragged himself from the car, reaching into his trench coat pocket for his house keys. He’d have to call Dean eventually to tell him he didn’t need to be picked up from work, but Castiel was going to put that off for as long as he could. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that Sam was in trouble. It might be worth losing his job if it meant getting Sam out of that house. The way Alastair Romaro watched his foster son gave Castiel the creeps. It felt almost predatorily, like he was ready to mark his territory at a moment’s notice. No father looked at his son that way and had good intentions.

He unlocked the front door and waved goodbye to Benny, waiting to go inside until he could no longer see his friend’s car. The house was quiet as he closed the door and tossed his keys in the bowl. It was times like these that he wished he and Dean had kids. There would be the sound of laughter to greet him when he came home, homework and school projects covering the kitchen table, and toys littering the floor.

Dean had made it clear though that he didn’t want kids. With both of them working grueling full-time jobs, they wouldn’t have time to give proper attention to the kids. But Castiel came from a big family and had always dreamed of having one of his own. He couldn’t recall all of the kids that had come through the system that he wanted to take home with him to give unconditional love to. Kids like Claire, who had been in at least a dozen different homes in the last three months and constantly tried to run away. Castiel just knew that Claire would love it with him and Dean.

Castiel toed off his shoes and loosened his tie as he shuffled into the living room and collapsed down on the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. He looked up towards the ceiling, hoping for a sign telling him what he should do.

“What should I do? Please, just tell me what to do,” Castiel prayed. He dropped his head into his hands. “Give me a sign. Something … anything. I’m begging you. Grant me the strength to help Sam. That’s all I ask. Help me help him.”

Castiel’s phone rang, pulling him from his darkening thoughts. He smiled softly when he saw Dean’s face grinning goofily up at him. “Hello Dean,” Castiel answered.

“Hey Cas. I’m on my lunch break and decided to stop by the office and see you, but you’re not here. Where are you?”

Castiel blushed. This was not the sign he was looking for. “I’m at home. Rufus sent me home early ‘cause I’ve been distracted ever since Benny and I left the Romaros this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t call and tell you earlier. I was kind of embarrassed.”

“Don’t worry about it, Cas. I know how much you care about Sam. I’m on my way home now for lunch, so we can talk more then. Only if you want. I’ll see you in like 10 minutes. I love you Cas.”

“I love you too Dean. I’ll be in the kitchen when you get home. See you soon.” Cas and Dean hung up. Castiel knew that as soon as he saw Dean, he’d be spilling his guts and telling him all his worries and doubts from the home visit. Castiel could always count on Dean to listen without judgment. He turned his phone over in his hands, fingers hovering over the screen. If Rufus wasn’t going to do something about the Romaros, then maybe he should take the initiative and call in a complaint himself. Castiel was sure he could convince Dean to run a welfare check on Sam. Just to put his fears to rest.

~~**~~

Dean shouldered through the door, arms laden with take out from the diner down the road. He could tell on the phone that Cas had had a rough day, and nothing cheered him up more than burgers from the place where they went on their first date. Dean had never seen Cas so upset over a case; he usually kept such a clear and level head.

“Hey Cas, I’m home! I picked us up some lunch from the diner,” Dean called out as he closed the door behind him. The house was practically sparkling clean, another testament to how upset Cas really was. He only ever went a little OCD with the housecleaning when he had a lot on his mind.

“I’m in the kitchen!” Castiel replied, sounding a little out of breath. Dean walked into the kitchen to find Cas on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor behind the fridge. 

“Cas, what are you doing down there?” Dean asked, setting the bags on the counter. He leaned his hip against the edge of the counter, folding his arms across his chest with a chuckle.

“I dropped my coffee cup and it all went under the fridge. I have to clean it up or it’ll attract ants.” Castiel held up a bandaged finger. “And I sliced my finger open on a piece of broken ceramic.”

Dean moved to Cas and dropped to his knees. He took the sponge from Cas’s hand and sighed. “Rough day?” He asked, giving Cas his patented lopsided smile.

Castiel nodded, sitting back on his knees.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Castiel nodded, staring down at his hands.

“Well let’s go sit on the couch and you can tell me all about it. I brought home burgers, your favorite.” Dean helped Cas to his feet, pressing a kiss to the bandage on his finger. He led Cas into the living room, grabbing the bag of food on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I promise that things ARE going to pick up very very soon!
> 
>  
> 
> Much Love, S


	7. Take A Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said before, this chapter is where things begin to pick up. Things will also get a bit intense and maybe a bit dark, but I'll try my best to warn you ahead of time.
> 
>  
> 
> Much Love,
> 
> S

Dean sat Cas down on the couch, setting the bag of food on the coffee table. “Okay, go ahead and spill. I know you’re barely keeping it together right now.”

“I’m just so frustrated Dean! No one believes me about what’s going on at that house! I finally convinced Benny, but that was only because he finally recognized it himself during the home visit. I feel so fucking useless because we have to jump through all these hoops! I’m getting to the point where I don’t care if I lose my job; I just want to get Sam out of there before it’s too late. And I asked Bobby and Crowley to call in a complaint, but I feel bad about getting them involved if it turns out to be nothing. I feel like I’m going crazy and I just want it all to stop.” Castiel opened the floodgates, letting all his fears and worries spill out into the air between them.

Dean listened intently, seeing how upset this whole situation was making his husband. “You’re not going crazy, Cas. I believe you and so does Benny. I think he’s always believed you, but it took seeing it himself to realize that. And I know you care if you lose your job because if you were gone, no one would be there to be an advocate for all those kids. Without you, Claire might run away for good. I’ve seen you do so much for those foster kids and it would kill you if you lost the ability to do that.” Dean paused for a moment, reaching out to wipe a tear from Castiel’s cheek. “Bobby and Crowley don’t mind getting involved. They see how much of your heart and soul you put in to your work, and they want to help you in any way they can. I don’t ever want you to think we don’t care about you or your feelings.”

Dean’s walkie-talkie chirped, stalling any further conversation for the moment.

_“Winchester, where you at?”_

“I’m at home on my lunch. What’s up Chuck?” Dean replied, running his fingers absentmindedly through Cas’s hair.

_“We need a welfare check on a kid near your house, and I figured you would’ve gone home for lunch.”_

“Sure, I can head over to the location now. I’ve got the rig with me. Anything special I should know heading in?”

_“The RP is the kid’s teacher. Says he hasn’t been to school in nearly two weeks and no one at the house is picking up the phone when she calls. It could be they moved out of town and forgot to notify the school. Call if you end up needing backup. The address is 211 King Street.”_

Castiel gasped, his eyes going wide. He reached out, grabbing Dean’s shirt. “Dean! Dean, that’s the Romaros. It’s Sam! Something’s happened to Sam!”

Dean took Cas’s hand in his, squeezing gently. “Chuck we’re going to need at least two units on scene; the kid’s in the foster system.” It was common practice to have police on the scene when a foster kid was involved, in case the child had to be removed from the home.

_“I’ll get two units dispatched ASAP.”_

“Let them know ahead of time that the foster father is going to be uncooperative. I’ll try to get in to check on the kid as fast as I can.”

_“10-4.”_

Dean stood, clipping his radio back to his belt. He leaned down and gave Cas a quick peck on the lips. “Don’t worry Cas, I’m going to help Sam as best I can. You should probably call Benny and have him pick you up and go to the hospital.” He turned and raced out the door, the rumble of the ambulance fading as he drove away.

Castiel chewed on his bottom lip, a swirl of conflicting emotions running through his brain. He grabbed the home phone from the coffee table and dialed Benny’s cell.

_“Hey brother,”_ Benny answered after two rings. _“Are you feeling any better?”_

“No, I’m actually feeling a lot worse. Dean just got a call to make a welfare check on Sam. His teacher called and said he hasn’t been to school in over two weeks. Dean’s heading over there now and says we should get over to the hospital right away. Can you swing by and pick me up?” Castiel’s hands and voice shook as he clutched the phone tightly in his hands.

 _“Of course I can, brother. I was just out checking in on Claire. I can be over there in five minutes. It’s going to be okay, Cas. Dean knows what he’s doing and he’s going to help Sam. Just stay calm until I get there.”_ Benny’s deep voice steadied Castiel’s nerves, drying the tears that leaked from his eyes.

“Thanks Benny. I’m just really worried about Sam. How could we not have noticed that he hasn’t been going to school? We’re supposed to be taking care of these kids and we can’t even realize when something’s wrong,” Castiel panicked.

_“Everything will be alright. We just have to remember that. I’ll see you soon, brother.”_

Castiel and Benny hung up, the house falling into silence. Castiel rose to his feet, grabbing his suit jacket from the chair where he’d left it and slipping it on. He adjusted his tie and brushed a piece of lint from the leg of his pants. He knew he was stalling; trying to keep his mind occupied so he wouldn’t become obsessed with worst case scenarios.

Castiel paced the living room, staring as the clock as the seconds ticked by slowly. It wasn’t until a horn honked in the driveway that Castiel realized he had been standing frozen in place for almost five minutes. He let out a shaky breath and left the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

0-0-0-0-0

Dean pulled the ambulance to a stop on the street in front of the house in question, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he steadied his breathing. He had to remind himself that this was just like any other call. He couldn’t let himself get distracted by the fact that this was about a foster kid that Castiel cared for deeply. 

The two patrol cars pulled up near the ambulance a few moments later, signaling that it was time to get to work. Dean got out, jogging around to the back to grab his med bag.

“What do we have?” One of the officers asked as he met Dean at the back of the rig.

“Name’s Sam Wesson, 14 year old foster kid. RP is his teacher who’s concerned that he hasn’t been to school in two weeks. CPS had a home visit this morning and didn’t note anything was suspect, but there’s word the father is good at covering things up. He’s also going to be the most uncooperative, so be ready for a fight,” Dean explained, shouldering his bag and closing the back door.

The officer, who Dean now recognized as Garth Fitzgerald, nodded. “We’re ready for anything, Dean. Just point us where you want us to go.”

“Keep an eye on the mom too. I don’t know what she’s going to do, if anything. I need you guys to knock on the door so I can get in and perform my welfare check. I have a feeling it’s the only way the father will let me in to check on Sam.” Garth and the other officer, Jody Mills, followed Dean up to the front door.

Jody took point, stepping onto the porch and knocking on the door. There was no answer, but they could hear people moving around inside. She turned and glanced back at the street filled with cars. “Well obviously someone’s home. It looks like they’re having some kind of huge party,” Jody remarked. “We might have to knock louder or check around the back. They might be on the back patio.”

Dean nodded, leading the way around to the back gate. He leaned over as far as he could to see if he could see anyone outside.

“Hello! Douglas County Sheriffs! We’re here to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Romaro!” Jody called out. They waited a few minutes but got no response. Jody shrugged, motioning for Dean to flip the latch on the gate. “We gotta do this welfare check, so let’s get into the backyard.”


	8. Trust In Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the kind comments and kudos! As a thanks, here is a REALLY long chapter! I added just a couple tags, which are just characters that make an appearance in this chapter.
> 
> Much Love,
> 
> S

Dean reached over the gate and unlocked it, pushing it open slowly. He stepped aside to let Garth and Jody head in first; badges went a long way to getting people to cooperate. The back sliding glass door was open, laughter and music filtering out.

Jody knocked on the glass, flashing her badge at the woman who approached.

“Hello. Can I help you?” The woman asked, nervously fiddling with the pearls around her neck.

“Hi there, I’m Sheriff Jody Mills with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department. Are you Mrs. Romaro?” Jody questioned, clipping her badge back to her belt.

The woman shook her head. “N-no, my name is Allison Hendricks; I live down the street. Let me get Lilith for you.” Allison stepped away for a moment, retreating into the living room. “Lilith, there are some … police officers in the backyard that are asking to speak with you. I don’t know what they want; they didn’t say.”

Lilith headed towards the backdoor, pink pastel heels clicking on the linoleum floor. Her box blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and there wasn’t a wrinkle in her perfectly tailored dress. She looked like she stepped right out of the 1950s. “Can I help you officers?”

“I’m Jody Mills and this is my partner Garth Fitzgerald, we’re with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department. This is Dean Winchester; he’s a paramedic from County General. We received a call regarding the foster child that lives at this residence. Do you mind if we come in Mrs. Romaro?”

Lilith looked over her shoulder into the living room, hoping that Alastair wouldn’t overhear the conversation. “I’m sorry but no, you can’t come in. We do have a foster child, but he’s staying at a friend’s house tonight. It was probably just a prank call. Now if you’ll excuse me I have hostess duties to attend to.”

Dean stepped in before Lilith could close the sliding door in their faces. “My apologies Mrs. Romaro, but I can’t leave until I’ve checked the residence and made sure that if there are any children here they aren’t being neglected. We can do this the easy way and you can grant us access to the house, or we can do this the hard way and these lovely Sheriffs can serve you with the search warrant that’s already been issued.”

“Lilith! What’s the holdup in there?! Where’s my damn beer, woman?!” Alastair’s booming voice sounded from the living room, his footsteps drawing closer to the kitchen. He eyed the people on his back porch with disdain. “Who the hell are these people?”

“You must be Mr. Romaro,” Garth began. “I’m Sheriff Fitzgerald, this is Sheriff Mills. This is Dean Winchester, from County General. We received a call from your foster son’s school and we’re here to perform a welfare check. It’s all very standard procedures, Mr. Romaro.”

“He’s not home tonight. Get out of my yard and off my damn property,” Alastair spat. He grabbed Lilith by the arm and started to pull her towards the living room and the rest of the party.

Jody sighed. “It looks like we’re going to be doing this the hard way then, boys.” She pulled the warrant from her pocket. “Mr. Romaro, this is a search warrant for your residence. If you resist or in any way try to impede Mr. Winchester from doing his job, you _will_ be placed under arrest.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?! I’m not going to listen to some bitch cop! If you don’t get out of my yard I’ll make you get out!” Alastair shouted, tossing Lilith to the side and stepping up into Jody’s personal space. The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath and Jody took a step back.

“Okay, you just made a bad decision buddy. Dean, go ahead inside and start your check. Garth, help me detain Mr. Romaro here,” Jody stated, reaching for her handcuffs. 

Alastair shoved Garth when he got close to him, growling with rage. No one was going to take Sam away from him. He’ll kill Sam before he gives him up. He lunged for Jody, reaching for her gun, but Dean interfered first and took Alastair to the ground.

“Sheriff Mills was right; you made a bad decision, pal.” Dean wrenched Alastair’s arm behind his back and put his knee in the small of the drunken man’s back. He held him down as Jody and Garth grabbed his arms and detained him.

“We got it from here Dean. Go and see if you can find the foster kid,” Garth remarked as he and Jody hauled Alastair to his feet and dragged him kicking and screaming from the house.

Lilith brushed off her dress, fixing her hair where it had started to fall out of her ponytail. Dean looked at her warily as he walked into the house. “Sam’s room is up the stairs, the first door on the left,” She supplied, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Dean nodded, swinging his med kit up onto his shoulder and stepping past her into the living room. He didn’t bother acknowledging the party guests as he headed up the stairs. He checked every room on the floor and though each room was immaculate, there was no sign of Sam. Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair. He headed downstairs and checked the side room, a den; also empty. There was only a hall closet left to check in the house, and Dean was starting to wonder if it had been a prank call after all.

He pushed open the closet door, swallowing down a gag as the smell hit him. A stained, threadbare twin mattress with a few springs sticking through it took up the majority of the small closet. Dean could identify the stains, from the pale yellow of urine, to white strands that he didn’t even want to think about. He slammed the door shut. He couldn’t bear to look at that room any longer.

Dean stalked back into the kitchen, getting right up into Lilith’s face. “Where is he? You tell me where Sam is right now or I’ll have you arrested too. I know he’s here somewhere and I need to make sure he’s okay,” Dean growled.

Lilith shook, tears shining in her eyes; still in shock over Alastair’s detainment. “H-he’s in the shed out back.”

Dean hurried out to the shed, nervous about what he would find. He pushed the door open slowly, eyes adjusting to the low light of the setting sun. Dean almost missed the huddled body in the far corner, half hidden by a stack of paint cans. “Sam? Is that you?”

A small whine came from the figure, who tried to curl into a smaller ball. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

Dean stepped into the run-down shed, setting his bag on the ground. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name’s Dean, I’m a paramedic. I’m here to check on you. Can you come out so I can take a look at you?” Dean kept his voice soft as to not scare Sam any more than he already was.

Sam shook his head; hazel eyes wide with fear. 

“It’s okay Sam; I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I’m a friend. And I know Cas has been really worried about you. It’s why he sent me.” Dean knew it was a low blow bringing up Cas, but Sam desperately needed treatment.

“You know Cas?” Sam asked.

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, I know Cas. He’s my husband. And he really cares about you, Sam.” 

Sam slowly unfolded his limbs and dragged himself onto the mattress. Dean had to suppress a gasp at how malnourished Sam was. He could count each of Sam’s ribs from where he stood, and his arms and legs looked like they belonged on a baby bird. One of his ankles was swollen to the size of a small soccer ball and was a deep, disturbing purple. An eye was almost completely swollen shut and if Dean was a betting man, he’d bet the eye socket was fractured too. And that wasn’t mentioning the numerous bruises and scars that littered his body.

“Do you mind if I take a look at your ankle? It looks like it hurts pretty badly. I can make it feel better,” Dean said, carefully reaching for his med kit. He knew any sudden movements might send the boy into a panic attack.

Sam nodded, stretching his leg out towards Dean. He watched the paramedic as he rifled through the kit and pulled out various supplies. “Wh-what’s all that stuff?”

Dean smiled warmly, laying the supplies out where Sam could see it all. “Well this is called an IV. I’m going to use it to get some fluids into your body, and that’ll help you start to feel better pretty quickly. And then I’m going to use this other stuff,” Dean held up a splint and bandages, “to stabilize your ankle so it won’t get any more injured and so I can transport you to the ambulance out front. I’m also going to give you a shot with some medicine to help with the pain. Because I’ll be honest with you Sam, it’s gonna hurt a lot when I wrap up your ankle. But I need you to be brave for me, okay?”

“Okay,” Sam replied, letting Dean manipulate his body so that he could do what he needed to do. “Is Cas out in the ambulance?”

“Sorry kiddo, he’s not. But Cas is waiting for us at the hospital so as soon as we’re set to go, I’ll take you to see him.” Dean ran his hands lightly over Sam’s ankle, making sure it was as straight as it was going to get out in the field. The Ortho surgeon was going to have a hell of a time putting Sam’s ankle back together, but if anyone could do it, it was Rowena. Dean worked quickly but efficiently as he splinted the ankle, hands shaking ever so slightly as he did. Alastair must’ve been good at hiding the extent of Sam’s neglect from Benny and Cas, because otherwise Cas would’ve taken Sam away from that house, his job be damned.

“Is Cas mad that I didn’t tell the truth earlier? I-I really wanted to but Alastair said he’d kill me if I did.” Sam looked straight ahead, past Dean’s shoulder to where Lilith and the other guests had begun to gather on the back porch.

Dean shook his head, moving his hands gently up Sam’s side to check for broken ribs and internal injuries. “No, Cas is not mad that you didn’t tell the truth. You were doing what you had to do to survive and Cas knows that, even if it hurts him to think you were suffering. Now I’m going to take a look at your eye, and you tell me what hurts.” Dean gently prodded the skin around Sam’s eye and nose, pausing when the young boy winced.

“It all kind of hurts there. I got hit with a remote yesterday morning. It’s kind of hard to see with it all puffed up.”

“Okay Sam. I’m going to pick you up and move you to the ambulance now, okay? It might hurt a little bit but I’ll try to be as smooth as possible.” Dean stood, packing up his kit. He bent down, sliding an arm under Sam’s knees and around his back. He easily picked up the boy, who felt like he weighed about as much as a feather.

“Hey Garth,” Dean called out as he rounded the side of the house. “I left my med kit back in the shed; will you grab it for me? I need to get Sam settled.”

“Sure thing Dean,” Garth replied and shut the back door of the patrol car. He jogged past Dean into the backyard, spotting the medic’s bag in the shed. He froze as he reached down to grab it, eyes widening at the sight of the mattress and dirty dishes piled inside. Garth quickly grabbed the bag so he could get as far away from that shed as possible. He brought the bag to Dean, who was gently setting Sam on the stretcher in the ambulance.

“Thanks Garth. Tell Jody that she needs to document the hall closet on the first floor and the shed. I’ll take some photographs of Sam’s injuries and send them to Jody. I need you to drive the ambulance to County General so I can stay in the back with Sam. I wasn’t expecting Sam’s condition to be so severe, so I didn’t stop by the station to pick up Chuck.”

“Yeah, sure Dean. I’ll just go let Jody know and have her pick me up from the hospital later,” Garth replied, depositing the med bag in the ambulance and jogging back over to talk to Jody.

“Hang in there just a little bit longer, Sam.”


	9. Shatter Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to apologize to all of you amazing readers for such a long hiatus. Work and personal life got crazy and I was dealing with more medical problems (but those are all sorted out now and I'm fine). I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted a chapter for this story and I hope what I have for you is a good enough apology.
> 
> Much love,
> 
> S

The ambulance lurched to a stop out the doors to County General’s Emergency room. Dean checked the straps keeping Sam on the stretcher, making sure they weren’t too tight.

“How are you doing Sam?” Dean asked, brushing a lock of hair from the boy’s eyes.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Sam mumbled, closing his eyes against the lights in the ambulance.

“I’m sorry I had to restrain you. You were having a panic attack and I didn’t want you to hurt yourself. You’ll probably have to stay restrained while the doctors check you out; just in case all that touching makes it worse. But I’ll be with you the entire time, okay?” Dean squeezed Sam’s hand as the back doors opened.

He jumped from the ambulance and pulled the stretcher out, grabbing the IV bag and holding it above Sam. Dean pushed the stretcher through the ER doors, scanning the bodies for any sign of Cas.

“What do we got?” The attending ER doctor asked as doctors and nurses descended on the stretcher.

“His name’s Sam, 14 year old foster kid. Fractured left ankle, possible fractured right orbital socket. Multiple contusions on the torso, back and face. BP is 85 over 50, pulse ox is 70%. I wasn’t able to get an accurate pulse on him in the rig. He’s pretty jumpy around people, so I’m going to stay with him. Possible internal injuries; I couldn’t be sure out in the field. I’ve given him 10mg of morphine and two units of saline.” Dean rattled off everything to the doctor, resting a hand on Sam’s shoulder when the boy looked up at him in fear.

They steered the stretcher into an empty trauma room, transferring Sam to the gurney gently.

“Sam, my name’s Jimmy Novak. I’m going to take really good care of you, okay?” The doctor said with a soft smile. A nurse cut the soiled sweatpants from Sam’s lower half, exposing the injuries beneath. Alastair’s release was caked to Sam’s inner thighs, shocking the medical staff into silence.

“Alfie, go get me a rape kit from the supply closet,” Dr. Novak instructed one of the nurses. The nurse rushed out of the room, the doors swinging closed in his wake.

Sam whined, reaching up to grip the sleeve of Dean’s coat tightly. “No,” Sam whimpered, struggling against the hands touching him. “Let me go please! I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’ll be good; I’ll be a good boy! I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!”

Dean leaned over, his face filling Sam’s view. “It’s okay Sam. You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you here. Dr. Novak just needs to check you out. No one is going to hurt you. I’m right here and I’m going to make sure no one hurts you,” Dean murmured. He let Sam take his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“No, don’t let them touch me! Don’t touch me!” Sam screamed, shaking his head. He thrashed on the table, ripping the IV out of his arm and kicking Dr. Novak in the shoulder. Hands descended on him, holding the boy down on the table. Sam screamed as he struggling against the hands, tears and snot running down his face.

“Charlie, push 5mg of Lorazepam!” Dr. Novak directed as he held down Sam’s legs. The boy was going to aggravate his ankle injury even more if he kept thrashing around. “Someone get the restraints!”

“NO!” Sam screeched, bucking hard as he tried to throw the hands off him. He lashed out, sinking his teeth into Charlie’s hand when she got too close.

“Son of a bitch!” Charlie cursed as she shook her hand out. She turned her hand over, hissing in pain at the bloody teeth marks. “He bit me!”

Dr. Novak glanced over at Charlie’s hand. “Go get that cleaned and dressed.”

Charlie nodded, leaving the room just as Alfie returned with a rape kit and the restraints. “Here are the things you asked for Dr. Novak.”

Sam’s eyes widened in fear as he watched the nurse hand the Dr. Novak a restraint. Dean bent down, murmuring softly in Sam’s ear as he held down the boy’s shoulders. “I know you don’t want to be tied down, so you have to calm down Sam. As long as you calm down and let Dr. Novak do his job, you won’t be restrained. Okay? I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

Sam nodded, a tear sliding down his temple. He didn’t release his death grip on Dean’s jacket, but forced his body to lay still. “I’m scared.”

“I know you’re scared, Sam. It’s okay to be scared. But you’re so strong and I know you can be brave. I’m not going anywhere and it’ll be over before you know it,” Dean whispered, squeezing Sam’s shoulders gently. “Once Dr. Novak has fixed you all up, I’ll bring Cas in to see you. Sound like a deal?”

“Y-yeah,” Sam stuttered, closing his eyes as Dr. Novak spread his legs and put his shame on display for the room full of strangers. “I’m sorry I bit that nurse.”

Dean grabbed a rolling stool from nearby, sitting down by Sam’s head. He leaned in close, whispering comforting words in the boy’s ear. “It’s okay Sam, we know you didn’t mean to. Things like that happen more often than you think. Dr. Novak is going to be super quick about doing the kit and then we’ll get you covered up. There’s a really nice doctor named Rowena who is going to fix your ankle up good as new. You’ll like her; she’s really great with kids.”

“Okay Sam, I’m all done down here,” Dr. Novak announced as he gently closed Sam’s legs and drew a blanket over them. “Do you know your blood type, Sam?”

Sam shook his head. “Why? Is something the matter?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, we just need to know so that we can have extra blood on standby during your surgery. It’s okay if you don’t know; we’ll draw some blood and send it off to the lab. How’s your pain level right now?”

Sam shrugged. “It’s alright I guess. My ankle is starting to hurt a bit more. But I’m okay. The medicine Dean gave me earlier helped a lot.”

“I gave him 10 of Morphine in the rig,” Dean provided. “I didn’t want to give him too much in case he had something else in his system.”

“We’ll run a tox screen as well before we send him up to Rowena for surgery,” Dr. Novak said, motioning for Alfie to draw a few vials of blood. “It’ll take about half an hour to get the results back, depending on how busy the lab is.”

“I’m going to bring Cas in here to talk with Sam before his surgery,” Dean remarked. He looked down at Sam, catching the boy’s attention. “I’ll be right back, I promise. And I’ll come back with Cas.”

~~**~~

Castiel looked up at the sound of footsteps racing towards him and Benny. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when he saw that it was Dean.

“How is he?” Castiel asked nervously. He had panicked the entire car ride over to the hospital, every worst case scenario running through his head.

“He’s stable for now. But he’s been asking for you nearly constantly when he hasn’t been panicking.” Dean looked over at Benny. “He bit Charlie. I told him I’d bring you in to talk with him before they took him up for surgery.”

Castiel stood, gripping Dean’s arms tightly. “What do you mean, surgery?!”

“Calm down Cas, it’s going to be okay. His ankle is broken pretty severely and he needs surgery in order to fix it. Now there’s a lot more we need to discuss in private, but that can wait until he’s up in the O.R.”

Benny tapped Castiel on the arm, motioning for the coffee in his hand. “You go on in and let Sam know you’re here. I’ll wait here.”

Dean led Cas back to the trauma room that Sam was in, though his expression gave nothing away to just how bad a shape the boy was in. “I think seeing you will really help calm him down,” Dean remarked just before they pushed through a set of double doors.

Sam struggled to lift his head to see who had come through the door, but it was like his muscles wouldn’t listen to him. He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep. He didn’t even care if it was Alastair coming to take him back to the shed; he was just so tired.

“Sam?” Dean’s familiar voice cut through the fog in his head. “I brought someone to see you.”

Castiel’s face entered the space above Sam, lake blue eyes filled with concern. “Hello Sam. I … I’m sorry. I should’ve done something sooner. I had no idea you were in so much pain. I hope you can forgive me.”

Sam found himself smiling. Seeing the social worker lifted a weight from his chest. He was finally free from Alastair and the hell he had been living in. His prayers had been answered. “It wasn’t your fault. He said he’d kill me if I told anyone about him breaking my ankle.”

Dean stepped in before the two of them starting crying; Cas was an _ugly_ crier. “What matters now is you are safe and can work on healing. And there’s enough evidence to lock Alastair away for a very long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also quick note, don't pay too much attention the vital signs I made up for Sam. They might not make sense.
> 
>  
> 
> -S


	10. A Break In The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Yes I am still alive and this story has not been abandoned. I got pretty sick last month but thankfully after many doctors visits we got it figured out. Turns out not only do I have a dairy allergy, I have a slight gluten allergy as well. Which means lots of dietary changes. But I'm feeling better now which means more chapters!
> 
> Much Love, S

Cas grabbed Sam’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Dean’s right. The important thing is that you’re safe now. You’re alive and you’re safe.”

Dr. Novak poked his head back in the room. “Hey guys. Do you have a moment to discuss Sam’s blood work?”

Cas and Dean both nodded, Dean moving to stand on the other side of Sam.

Dr. Novak entered the room fully, the doors closing behind him. “It was good that you only gave Sam 10mg of Morphine, as we found a moderate amount of cocaine in his system. If you had given him anymore he would have overdosed and gone into cardiac arrest. There was also something quite troubling in the results that I need to make an official report about.” Dr. Novak paused, letting the first part sink in before speaking again. “Sam is HIV positive.”

A collective hush filled the room, no one knowing how to break the silence. It was a lot for the trio to take in, as it only added to the horror the young boy faced at the hands of his foster father.

“Is Charlie going to be okay?” Dean asked.

Sam looked over at Dean. “Wait, why wouldn’t that nurse be okay?”

Dean sighed, resting a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “She might have gotten infected with HIV when you bit her hand and broke the skin. Bodily fluids are the most common way HIV is spread and contracted.”

“But,” Dr. Novak said. “We have protocols in place for incidents like that and Charlie has already started taking the medicine to hopefully prevent her from contracting HIV. You have nothing to worry about Sam; none of this was your fault.”

“Dr. Novak is right Sam. Charlie is going to be okay; this stuff happens more often than you think,” Dean remarked gently.

“Rowena is ready for you; it’s time to take you upstairs,” Dr. Novak said. “We’re going to give you a little bit of medicine to make you go to sleep, and when you wake up your ankle will be all fixed up and it won’t hurt as bad anymore.”

“And we’ll be right there waiting for you when you wake up,” Castiel stated with a soft smile.

~~~~~~

Dean paced the waiting room floor, glancing up at the doors every so often. It had already been three hours since Sam was taken to surgery, and each minute that ticked by worried Dean more and more.

“Dean? Maybe you should come and sit down,” Castiel suggested from his seat by the windows. “You saw how badly damaged Sam’s ankle was; it’s going to take a while to fix it. That’s even if Rowena can salvage it at all.”

Dean sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Do you really think he might lose his leg?”

Castiel shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it’s possible. Who knows how long his ankle has been broken?”

The two men looked up at the sound of the doors swinging open. “Hello Dean,” Rowena said as she approached. “You saved that kid’s life by bringing him in when you did. I was able to save his foot, but there was quite a lot of damage to the surrounding muscles that will take time to fully heal. It’s hard to say for sure how it’ll affect his ability to walk at this point. The recovery is going to be slow going, and he’s going to get discouraged so you need to always be supportive.”

“Can we go up and see him now?” Dean asked.

Rowena nodded. “I’ll take you up to see him. He’s in recovery right now but he’s still sleeping. Once he wakes up we’ll move him to a regular room.”

Dean and Cas followed Rowena up to the recovery wing, neither man saying a word. Cas would have to call Benny and let him know that Sam had made it through the surgery. Benny had gone back to the office to get Rufus up to speed on the situation. His hands trembled as they stepped into the elevator, wondering for what felt like the millionth time how he hadn’t seen the signs that Sam had been abused so badly.

They walked to a quiet room at the end of the hall. “We put Sam in his own room to protect himself and the other patients. We don’t know how he’ll react when he wakes up.” Rowena’s voice cut through both men’s swirling thoughts.

“Thank you for everything Rowena. You don’t know how much this means to us. Now Sam can recover in safety and peace,” Castiel stated, embracing the red-headed surgeon. She smiled as she stepped back, leaving the two men to take up their posts at Sam’s bedside.

\---**----

Sam groaned as he started to come to. The light above his bed was far too bright for his eyes that were so used to the blackness of his closet. “Where am I?” He muttered. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

“Sam?” A familiar voice sounded from his left, though it sounded a million miles away. “Sam, it’s Castiel and Dean. You’re at the hospital; you’re safe now.”

Sam turned his head towards the voice, barely making out the social worker’s blurry face. “Where’s Alastair?”

Dean’s face entered Sam’s field of vision, smiling warmly at the young boy. “You don’t have to worry about Alastair ever again. He’s going to jail where he’ll stay for the rest of his life. You’re safe from him.”

“Am I going to have to go to another foster home?” Sam asked, the fear evident in his voice.

Cas nodded. He opened his mouth to speak but Dean quickly interrupted. “No, you don’t have to go to another foster home. You won’t ever have to go to a foster home again.”

“Th-then where am I going to go?” Sam’s lip quivered as he tried not to cry. He didn’t want to end up living on the streets; he’d never survive. “I don’t have any family here. I don’t even know who my family is.”

“You’re going to come home with us.”

“Dean, what are you talking about?” Cas wondered, turning to face his husband.

“I’ve seen how much you care about Sam; how much you want to keep him safe. Now we can do that. The paperwork has been in process for about a month, and I was waiting until tonight to surprise you, but Benny called this morning and told me we’d been approved,” Dean explained.

“Approved for what?” Cas was starting to get confused. He didn’t know what Dean had apparently been planning for a month, and was too tired to try to figure it out himself.

“We’ve been approved for adoption. Sam gets to come home with us. All we have to do is sign the final document and it’s official. We get to be parents.” Dean smiled broadly, holding Castiel’s hands in his and waiting for the other man to respond.

“Dean … tell me you’re not joking,” Castiel gasped, the shock heavy in his expression.

“I’m not joking Cas. You can call Benny and ask him yourself. He can bring the papers over and Sam can be ours today. He won’t ever have to worry about the foster system again.” Dean felt the hotness of tears on his face, and saw the tears mirrored on Castiel’s cheeks.

Dean soon found himself with an armful of crying Castiel. “I love you so much Dean. You’re the best husband I could ever ask for.”

“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Sam asked.

Castiel turned to face Sam, brushing tears from his face. “You get to come home with us once you’re released from the hospital. We adopted you apparently, so we are going to be your parents.”

Sam’s lip quivered. “You mean it? I don’t have to stay in a foster home anymore?”

The two older men nodded. It was then that Sam broke down in happy sobs, feeling a weight lift off his chest. “I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much.”


	11. Home is Where I'm With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Top of the mornin' to ya! I am back and updating! Real life got real hectic for a bit there but things have settled and I hope to be updating way more often soon. Enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> Much love,  
> S

Dean grabbed Sam’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Just focus on getting better, you don’t have to say anything.” He snagged a few tissues from a nearby box and used them to clean off Sam’s face. “They want to keep you a few days to make sure everything went alright with the surgery, and then we’ll be able to go home.”

~~**~~

Sam yawned, barely able to keep his eyes open as his new dads wheeled him out of the hospital. It had been a week since he’d been taken out of Alastair’s hell, and he couldn’t help but constantly look over his shoulder. Though they had told him over and over again that Alastair was in jail, he was still scared. He was scared that all of this would be ripped away from him in the blink of an eye. He shivered as he remembered Cas explaining that he would have to testify against Alastair when the case went to trial.

“Are you hungry Sam?” Castiel asked as Dean went to bring the car around.

Sam nodded sleepily, his stomach choosing that moment to growl loudly.

Castiel chuckled, ruffling Sam’s hair. “Do you feel up to going out to eat? Or would you prefer breakfast at home?”

Sam looked down at his foot encased in a huge cast, evidence of what he had suffered at Alastair’s hands. People were already staring at him as they waited for Dean to come back and Sam knew people would only stare more if they went to a restaurant. “Breakfast at home is fine with me. I’m afraid I might fall asleep at the table.”

“Well then you are in for a treat,” Castiel replied. “Your dad makes the best blueberry pancakes. I tell you, they are like heaven in your mouth. You won’t want to eat anything else after you’ve had his pancakes. But don’t tell him I said that.” Castiel smirked as the Impala rumbled to a stop in front of them.

“Wow! That car is so cool!” Sam remarked with a huge grin. “It looks like something from an action movie!”

Castiel chuckled, ruffling Sam’s hair. “It was his dad’s car before it was Dean’s. He gave it to Dean on his 18th birthday. He loves that car like it’s alive.”

Dean got out of the driver’s seat, jogging around to the other side of the car to open the back door. “Can you get him in alright or do you want me to do it?” He asked.

“You should grab him, you’ve got that hero upper body strength,” Castiel replied with a laugh. “I’m afraid I might drop him.”

Castiel held the wheelchair steady as Dean scooped Sam up in his arms and deposited him gently in the backseat of the Impala. Dean tucked a worn but soft blanket around Sam and buckled him in.

“Are you comfortable, Sam?” Dean asked.

Sam looked up, nodding sleepily. “Yeah, I’m fine. These seats are really comfortable.”

Dean laughed, ruffling Sam’s hair. “I’ve been told that before.” He gave Cas a sly side eye before straightening and closing the door. He held the passenger door open for Cas and then went around to get into the driver’s seat.

“You ready to go home, Sam? Castiel asked, turning around to look back at Sam. “We’ll get you a nice breakfast and then get you set up on the couch in the living room. How’s that sound?”

Sam nodded, smiling at his new dad. He still couldn’t believe he had actual parents who loved him instead of foster parents who at best tolerated him. “I hope I never have to come back here,” He mumbled, settling back against the seat.

Dean pulled the car away from the curb, heading out onto the highway towards their house. “We should call Benny and let him know we got Sam home safely.”

Castiel sighed. “And I’m sure Rufus will want to speak with me at once over this. Let’s just hope he lets me keep my job. I’m sure I’ve broken all sorts of protocols and rules with this.”

Dean reached over, squeezing Cas’s hand. “Don’t worry; everything will work itself out in the end. We’ll make Rufus see that this was the only option. That this was something we’ve wanted for a long time. He’ll understand.”

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to lose all the progress Benny and I have made with the other kids.” He glanced in the rearview mirror to find Sam fast asleep, his head leaning against the window. “Thank you so much for this Dean. I never realized something was missing from our lives until you told me we had adopted Sam. I love you so much.”

“I love you too Cas.”

~~**~~

Dean lifted Sam from the backseat, letting his head rest against his shoulder. He hadn’t even stirred at the move and Dean hoped he’d start feeling better soon. The boy was nothing but skin and bones and trembled whenever someone got close to him. If it hadn’t been for Sam’s teacher calling in concern, the boy might not have been at the next home visit.

“We’ll put him in our bed for now until we can make up the guest bedroom. I think he’ll feel safer there anyway,” Castiel suggested as he held the front door open for Dean. He pulled out his phone and dialed Benny’s number. They’d told Benny to go home and get some rest after Sam made it out of surgery with the promise to keep him updated.

_“Hey brother, I figured you’d call soon.”_ Benny’s familiar voice eased tightness in Castiel’s chest.

“Yeah we just got Sam home. Dean’s getting him settled in our room now. Have you called Rufus yet?”

_“Oh yeah, and he’s pissed. Says I shouldn’t have gone behind his back with this whole adoption thing. He was as angry as a hornet’s nest until I convinced him you had no knowledge of it and that it was all me and Dean.”_

“I’ll be in tomorrow to talk to Rufus. Dean’s gonna take a leave of absence for a few days while we get Sam used to being with us. That’s unless Rufus fires my ass.”

Benny chuckled. _“I don’t think that’s going to happen, brother. Rufus was pissed yeah, but he’s glad that there’s one less kid to deal with in this fucked up system. He might suspend you at the most I think.”_

“Thanks Benny. Pick me up at the normal time tomorrow morning?”

_“Sounds good. Give my best to Sam.”_

The two men said their goodbyes and Castiel went to join Dean in their room. He was just tucking the covers around Sam’s sleeping form, a pillow under his cast.

“So what did Benny say?” Dean asked softly, brushing a stray lock of chestnut hair from Sam’s forehead.

“Rufus is pissed. I’m going in tomorrow to talk to him. Hopefully I can calm him down and let him know that this is what’s best for Sam.” Castiel sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Sam sleep.

“If he has any questions, tell him that Sheriff Mills was there when we took him from the house and that we’ve documented all of Sam’s injuries and his living conditions. Alastair is going away for a long time.”

“I sure hope so. Anyone who could treat a child that way deserves to rot in prison. I hope we get to testify against him in court. I want to see the look on his face when his sentence gets handed down.” Castiel gripped Dean’s hand tightly.

Dean rubbed Castiel’s back. “I know you do Cas. I’m sure they’ll want to hear your observations about the home visits. Things will work out in our favor, I just know it. For now, let’s focus on our son and helping him heal.”

“You’re right Dean. Sam’s our priority now. Do you think he’s going to want to eat when he wakes up?” Castiel wondered, running his fingers gently through Sam’s hair.

“I’m sure he is. I think we still have some leftover tomato rice soup from last night in the fridge. He shouldn’t eat too much too fast until we know how his stomach will handle food.”

Castiel sighed. “I’m beat. I think I’m going to go take a shower. But come and get me if he wakes up.”

“Of course Cas. Take your time.” Dean smiled softly at Cas before the other man stood and shuffled off into the bathroom. A few minutes later the shower turned on and Dean pulled out his cellphone.

**Dean:** _Hey Benny, contact Sheriff Mills and ask her to send you the photos from the Romaro house._

**Benny:** _Thanks for the heads up man._

**Dean:** _Yeah I figured it would be best if you had a copy of them to put in Sam’s file. You and Cas will eventually have to look at them before Alastair’s trial._

**Benny:** _How is Castiel doing? He seemed a little off on the phone._

**Dean:** _I don’t know honestly. I think he’s trying to put on a brave face for Sam but I can tell he’s really hurting._

**Benny:** _Just give him some time to process this. It may take until Alastair’s trial is over for Cas to start feeling better. Keep me updated with how they’re both doing._

**Dean:** _Will do Benny. Thanks for the advice._

**Benny:** _Anytime brother._


End file.
